Social Media in the Hiring Process

A current and somewhat controersial topic regarding the hiring process is employers use of loving media screening. The some popular sites to be gybeed be Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter and instantaneously more than ever, companies be looking on the Internet to notice if appli fecal matterts argon active on these friendly media nettsites (Swallow). Harris Interactive conducted a survey of 2,303 respondents from February 9, 2012 with March 2, 2012 to find out(p) how many companies used social media sites to check on undertaking applicants.The results showed that 37 per centum of respondents indicated their companies used social media web sites to check on job chances. Sixty-five percent indicated they were looking to canvass if a job candidate appeared passkey and 51 percent indicated that they were checking to see if the candidate would be a good match in the fellowships culture (Social Media A Big Part of Hiring mould). Another survey d atomic number 53 by a socia l media observe service, Reppler, reveals regular(a) higher results.Their ingest found that over 90 percent of recruiters and hiring managers have visited a potential candidates visibleness on a social network as part of the screening process. The excogitate likewise shows that 69 percent of recruiters have rejected a candidate base on content found on his or her social networking profiles although 68 percent say that they have actually hired a candidate based on his or her activity on those sites. The most common closes for rejection include lies intimately qualifications, inappropriate photos (racy or indicative of drug or alcohol use), negative comments about a previous employer, and light communication skills.The most common reasons that an employer has hired someone after see his or her social media profile include demonstration of a haughty personality and good organic lawal fit, evident creativity, and good references posted by others (Swallow). Although screeni ng social media profiles can provide employers with a wealth of useable information, it also comes with some potential pitfalls. Employers can get in vex by obtaining information that is unlawful to consider in an employment decision such as an applicants race, religion, national origin, age, pregnancy status, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, and gender.In order to decrease the likelihood of a discrimination charge, employers sometimes have a person not tangled with the hiring process look back social media sites in order to filter out information about inclusion in a protected class (Michale). There are also social media screening services that claim to filter out any information pertaining to a protected class (Sterling Infosystems). As was mentioned earlier, one of the reasons for employers choosing not to hire someone based on their social media profile is inappropriate photos, including those in which alcohol use is shown.Using this as a reason to reject an applicant can put the employer in a ruttish situation depending on the particular states off-duty laws. In over half the states it is unlawful for an employer to take an adverse employment action based on an employees lawful conduct on their own time, even if the employee is only prospective. In Using Facebook to concealing Potential Hires Can astound You Sued, Robert Michale cites Minnesota as an example. In this state it is unlawful for an employer to prohibit a prospective employee from using lawful products such as alcohol and tobacco.So how can applicants protect themselves or best represent themselves within the social media landed estate? Renee capital of Mississippi, a Labor and Employment lawyer with Nixon Peabody LLP, has some advice to give. Jackson recommends that applicants develop that companies are looking for information about applicants online, whether or not its true. Another tip is to try displaying the most professional online image possible. In order to g et a glimpse of ones image, Jackson encourages job seekers to Google themselves and some keywords from their resumes and see what results come up (Quast).Chirag Nangia, CEO of the social media screening service Reppify, offers advice similar to Renee Jacksons. Nangia encourages job seekers to try to visualize themselves in a manner that would be attractive to the company they necessitate to be a part of. A ZDNet study indicated that British Facebook users are drunk in 76 percent of their photos. It doesnt take a Human Resources guru to know that this is probably not the best representation of professional behavior (Quast). Finally, a prospective that hasnt been touched on is that of the applicants.A study presented at the 27th Annual Society for Industrial and Organizational psychological science Conference in April 2012 shows that employers that use online screening practices may be uninviting or reduce their attractiveness to job applicants and current employees alike. The stu dy involved 175 students who applied for a fictitious job they believed to be current and were later informed they were screened. Applicants were less willing to take a job offer after being screened, perceiving the action to reflect on the organizations fairness and treatment of employees based on a post-study questionnaire.They also felt their privacy was invaded. Works Cited Ahearn, Tom. Social Network Screening by Employers may Make Companies Unattractive to Job Applicants. ESR News footing Check News from Employment Screening Resources (ESR) A. N. p. , 10 July 2012. Web. 18 Oct. 2012. . Michale, Robert. Using Facebook To Screen Potential Hires Can Get You Sued. Fast Company. N. p. , 20 July 2012. Web. 8 Oct. 2012. . Quast, Lisa. Recruiting, Reinvented How Companies Are Using Social Media In The Hiring Process. Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 21 May 2012. Web. 18 Oct. 2012. . Quast, Lisa. Social Media, Passwords, and the Hiring Process Privacy and Other Legal Rights. Forbes. Fo rbes Magazine, 28 May 2012.Web. 18 Oct. 2012. . Social Media a Big Part of Hiring Process. UPI. N. p. , 18 Apr. 2012. Web. 18 Oct. 2012. . Sterling Infosystems Why Screen? Sterling Infosystems Why Screen? N. p. , n. d. Web. 18 Oct. 2012. .